Dem Critz holds Murtha's Pa. seat

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Democrat Mark Critz, who carried the day Tuesday, will face his Republican special-election rival again in November.
AP Photo

Sessions acknowledged that the results of the contest were “undoubtedly disappointing.”

Burns staked his campaign on blasting the Democratic legislative agenda and sought to tie Critz – in a relentless spree of TV ads – to Pelosi and Washington Democrats’ push for health care and cap-and trade climate legislation. His campaign sharply criticized Critz for holding a Washington fundraising event with Pelosi.

“Why am I running for Congress?” Burns declared on one ad. “Meet one of the biggest reasons: I think Pelosi’s big government liberal agenda is destroying America.”

Critz, for his part, launched a wave of attacks over Burns’s record on jobs and accused Burns of supporting tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas.

Murtha’s legacy was never far from the surface in the special election to fill out the remainder of his term. In an economically hard-hit district that survived on Murtha’s largesse, Critz highlighted his role as Murtha’s economic development director. Burns, for his part, didn’t shy away from reminding voters of Murtha’s ethics scrapes, launching a TV ad alluding to the House Ethics Committee’s investigation of the powerful former chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

National political figures trekked down to the Johnstown-area district in the final days of the race, with Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown stumping for Burns and former President Bill Clinton campaigning for Critz.

The race also became something of a playground for outside groups on both sides of the aisle, with organized labor and Washington-based conservative anti-tax pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into the race. With the National Republican Congressional Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee investing heavily in the contest, total spending in the race totaled over $4 million.

The Pennsylvania race is one of two special elections taking place this week.

Republican Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou appears well positioned to win the May 22 race for the seat formerly held by Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), who retired to run for governor. With former Rep. Ed Case and state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa splitting the Democratic vote, the DCCC announced last week it was pulling out of the race.

This particular election showed that even though voters are not exactly thrilled with the democrats they are not exactly ready to hand over the keys to the house (so to speak) to the Republicans either. Maybe this will put to rest all that 'big talk' about taking 100 House seats, but probably not.

skint is correct. Murtha bought his seat every year. He could do that because he had enough seniority to direct money to his district. He built a freakin airport in the middle of nowhere! This new guy won't have the juice to make that happen, especially with declining budgets coming down the pike. It'll be interesting to see if he can hang on. If he "co-opts republican positions" I'll be OK with him staying.

You have a Socialist President. This President and his lemmings decided to have a massive takeover of our Health Care which had public financing of abortions. The President is toxic and nobody wants to be around him. Ditto for the Speaker of the House.

You have a district where McCain won in 2008 after Kerry won in 2004 which was the only district in the country that did this. Despite a 6 point national Obama victory.

YET

Your boy lost. Not only did he lose but he lost by a solid margin! This was no 1% eek it out victory. What more do you need to win? Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama are not going anywhere. They may not be super popular right now but your boys are even LESS popular. Keep dreaming of your takeover in November and of kicking out Obama in 2012.

Seriously, a combined 4 million dollars for a seat that is up again in November? Is there any doubt that there is lunacy in both parties? I guess the Republicans figured any Democrat who had to run to the right of Reagan to get elected must be beatable..... even in a district where democrats out number repubublicans 2 to 1. And they elected a democrat senator by a wide margin even in a year they didn't vote for a Democrat president. I guess old Tip was right, all politics is local. Let's see how Critz votes on cap and trade.... Let's see if he's really a true blue dog. One thing they can't stand in the 12th is a liberal, unless the payoff is enough.

Your boy lost. Not only did he lose but he lost by a solid margin! This was no 1% eek it out victory. What more do you need to win? Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama are not going anywhere. They may not be super popular right now but your boys are even LESS popular. Keep dreaming of your takeover in November and of kicking out Obama in 2012.

It's also worth noting that Your boy had to run pretty much as a conservative against all of Obama's policies! He could have been Mertha's opponent! Typical democrat strategy, Obama himself had to run as a centrist to get elected then once elected he did an about face! PA. gets what they deserve!

I'm glad the dem candidate primarily since it proactively silences all of the inevitable chatter from the political punditocracy if hypothetically speaking - the tables were turned and the republican candidate had won. This was the most important election of the day. No other primary feud with the big names had as great as importance in regards to 2010 mid-terms as PA-12. Quite frankly, I'm stunned that the GOP candidate lost. It really seemed like the GOP had the momentum and energy to take this district. The election was nationalized by the disseminators of wisdom on AM talk radio and Rupert Murdoch's entire media machine. The GOP brass was publicly chest pounding about impending victory and 'upset'. This is no doubt a big smack in the eye to the GOP leadership that must really be wondering about a great many things that are happening across the American electorate that seem beyond their comprehension.

That being said, 2010 is still a GOP year with 40+ House seat pick ups an almost inevitable conclusion to this election cycle. Those dem pick ups in the House in 2006 and 2008 in traditionally conservative districts and McCain-Palin districts in 2008 will certainly revert back to their ancestral political heritage this November.

In these tough times and hard to watch news cycles, the dems have to take their victories whenever they can. PA-12 worked out well tonight. And Sestak is the stronger dem candidate for the general senate election. A good night for dems, even with the unresolved matter in Arkansas.

So much for that conservative wave. I'm beginning to think these "we're gonna kick your butt in the election" teabagger types are a lot like my nephew when he say's "I'm a lion - grrrr." They got a big surprise coming in November. The GOP will not take back either chamber. Their dreams of rolling back the change we believe in and voted for are DOA.

This is a terrrible blow for us Republicans even though the district is 2 to 1 dems. We have to get rid of the guy who is in charge of the RNC and perhaps Boehner. That guy we put in there only because he is black has really hurt us. Forget about pandering, we just need stay on message of low taxes, low spending and opposition to Obamacare. I forget the guy's name but he has been nothing but controversy and it looks so obvious we chose him to counter the notion we are a white party. That is bunk. I want that guy out, he has lost 7 straight. And Boehner too. We have to start anew. Revolution in the party. Take a cue from Rand Paul.

This is a terrrible blow for us Republicans even though the district is 2 to 1 dems. We have to get rid of the guy who is in charge of the RNC and perhaps Boehner. That guy we put in there only because he is black has really hurt us. Forget about pandering, we just need stay on message of low taxes, low spending and opposition to Obamacare. I forget the guy's name but he has been nothing but controversy and it looks so obvious we chose him to counter the notion we are a white party. That is bunk. I want that guy out, he has lost 7 straight. And Boehner too. We have to start anew. Revolution in the party. Take a cue from Rand Paul.

Is Critz the Democrat that run his campaign and won by claiming he would have voted against Health Tax Bill, Cap & Tax Bill, Stimulus Bill and he claimed he was against abortion? Is he the same one that didn't want Oblah-blah anywhere near his campaign? Just wondering!